horizonsgirl

Has anyone had experience with knowing someone who was very overweight and could not comfortably fit into the seats in economy? Did that person have to purchas a second seat? If she didn't have the extra $$$ was she denied boarding?

AAFrequentFlyer

<i>If <u>she</u> didn't have the extra $$$ was <u>she</u> denied boarding?</i>

Does the person have to be a she?

I do remember seeing an episode of the Southwest TV reality show where a man was too large to fit in one seat and he didn't have enough cash to pay for another seat. The GA explained to him that it's a no go unless he "finds" the money. He called a friend or a family member and that person used a CC to buy him the second seat. All ended well.

horizonsgirl

Thanks for the reply. No, it doesn't have to be a "she," it just happens that she is a she.

I'm in a terrible situation! I promised my cousin that we would go on a trip to celebrate our mutual 60th birthdays. Since I have a job and she doesn't I made the offer that my "gift" to her would be the airline tickets. That was three
years ago.

The trip is in six months. She weighs a lot. We have been best friends for 60 years and I WANT this to happen. I just don't want surprises at the gate and, quite frankly, it would be difficult for me to come up with the additional air fare

I was on the Continental site and read the "customers requiring extra seating" and that was really the first time it occurred to me. I don't look at her and see weight, I see my best friend and cousin.

AAFrequentFlyer

I just read Continental's policy on this subject and it seems to me like they are serious about it for 2 different reasons. One is safety. The passenger must be able to get into the seat with the arm rest down and using only 1 seat belt extension. If the passenger does not meet both of the requirements then it notes that CO requires the passenger to buy a second seat.
The second reason is the comfort of the other passengers sitting next to the overweight person. No offense to your cousin, but why should the other passenger(s) be uncomfortable if she "overflows" to the seats next to her?

That said, I do believe it's really up to the GA to enforce that requirement and if there are quite a few unsold seats, the GA may let your cousin on without the extra charge, but it's no guarantee. If you have a connection then even if the first GA let's your cousin on there is no guarantee the second one will, so that's another factor to consider.

Good luck! Hopefully everything will work out and you have a wonderful trip!

horizonsgirl

Your understanding of CO's policy is exactly the same as mine, and I agree completely with the policy.

I'm thinking that I have to talk with her about it, and I do not look forward to that conversation.

Thank you for the "luck."

julia1

I'm glad to see the airlines are finally beginning to address this problem. A few years ago I had the unfortunate experience of being seated in a window seat next to a woman who was unable to fit into her seat with the armrests down. I asked to be reseated and was told there weren't any other seats available and was given the choice of leaving the plane if I didn't want the seat. I had no other recourse if I wanted to get to my destination for a meeting later that day. She occupied half of my seat as well as all of her own and I spent the 4-hour flight crushed up against the window, unable to move, with her elbow jabbing into me every time she shifted in her seat.

She was a very nice woman and felt as uncomfortable about the whole situation as I did, I'm sure. This isn't about discrimination against the obese, as some people claim. It's about simple courtesy, about my right to occupy the seat I paid for, about her responsibility not to invade my space, just as I wouldn't think to invade hers.

Good luck with your 'conversation' - hopefully she's aware of the problems her size causes and will make it easier for you. You might want to do some research and see if you can determine which flights are least likely to be fully sold out.

horizonsgirl

Thanks, Julia.
She would be horrified to think she was spilling into someone's seat. Like half the people I know, she is always dieting but without much success.

Our trip is in six months, so my conversation with her will be soon so she can have a chance to do something about it.

We are very flexible with our dates, but waiting until close to the trip to purchase the tickets can be a very bad idea with the way the prices go up and down. To buy them at a good price locks us in and then the plane could fill up later. I'm feeling very lose/lose in this situation.

socaltraveler

I'm sorry for your situation, and hope that you and your cousin do have a great milestone birthday celebration, but I think you have probably already answered your own question. If your cousin is going to spread out into someone else's space, which is what I believe you are saying, you really have to think about purchasing 3 tickets from the beginning. And yes, it does feel lose/lose for you; I don't think you can even begin to assume that there will be extra seats on your flight to your special destination, and the other scenario is just embarrassing all the way around.

horizonsgirl

Yes, I think I have answered my own question. Everyone has been very kind and sensitive to my situation and I thank all.


I would never, never want to embarrass her or hurt her in any way. On top of the weight condition she also has other health problems. She even has a defibrulator implanted in her chest.

And so I shall buy three tickets and we'll both have room and no third person to worry about. We tend to get silly and giggling when we talk about "old times."

Thank you all.

janisj

Before you buy 3 tix, how much does she weigh/what is her dress size?

Is she actually obese or just a bit fat? It may not be as bad as you think.

MomDDTravel

that is what I was thinking Janisj.

simpsonc510

Another thought... what if you two can travel on a plane that has 2 seats side by side, rather than 3. Then the two of you don't need to worry about taking up someone elses space, unless you yourself would feel uncomfortable with your cousin taking up part of your seat. Just a thought.

It is very thoughtful of you to take your cousin on this trip. You both deserve to have a good time.

AAFrequentFlyer

<i>what if you two can travel on a plane that has 2 seats side by side, rather than 3. Then the two of you don't need to worry about taking up someone elses space,</i>,

read rule #1

suze

Depending exactly how big we are talking, I know you can discretely ask for a 'seat belt extender' in advance.

horizonsgirl

I've been away from the computer the past few days so thank you for your continued concern for my problem.

As for her size, she is 5'2" and weighs about 280 pounds. I don't think she has bought a dress in years, so I have no idea her clothing size.

I am taking her to Jamaica for our celebration and don't really have a lot of choices with the aircraft. We will either fly Air Jamaica or US Airways out of Philadelphia.
I absolutely insist on a non-stop flight because getting around in the airport will be a challenge.

I spoke to her yesterday about the size of the seat and she assures me it won't be a problem. I would gladly have a two seat configuration and would not mind at all if we were sitting really close together.

Thanks for the advice about "discretely" asking for an extender. Great idea!

suze

You're welcome. I learned about that here reading Fodor's

Dayenu

With a defibrillator (is it the same as pacemaker?) she probably should not go through the metal detector gates, search the TSA website, probably she needs to be wanded or patted down.

horizonsgirl

We've already addressed the defribulator issue. She has a letter from her doctor explaining that she cannot go through the metal detector and will have to be patted down.

My understanding is that a pace maker keeps the heart pumping at the correct pace, while a defribulator is there in case her heart STOPS and then the defrib acts like the paddles to deliver an electric shock to the heart. Sounds frightening to me, but she deals with it. So far her heart has never stopped.

pat

The heart doesn`t necessarily stop, but goes into a bad rythm, that can be shocked out of. Most pacemakers are set to only kick in when the heart rate gets too low or high.